Joining elbows, tees, flanges and other fittings to the ends of pipes by welding has never been an easy task. Today, the process requires the use of cumbersome lifting and clamping devices for holding the fitting in place during welding. Often, manipulating such devices to place a fitting requires more time than is required to perform the actual welding--a significant problem if many fittings are being welded as can occur during a refinery or pipeline overhaul. A need, therefore, exists for a tool that can be used to rapidly and accurately position a fitting at the end of a pipe for welding.